As many as 2800 tourists were rescued by the Indian Army after heavy snowfall left many stranded around 17 Mile & Nathu La near the Indo-China border in Sikkim on Saturday. Watch:

Sikkim: Indian Army rescued over 2,800 tourists stranded at Nathu La near Indo-China border and some other places in Sikkim a day after the region received heavy snowfall on Friday. The rescue operations continued from late Friday till Saturday afternoon. Among those rescued were many elderly people and children who were provided food and shelter by the Army. As many as 90 people of those who were rescued fell ill and were provided treatment.

“Heavy snowfall left many tourists stranded around 17 Mile & Nathu La, Sikkim. Indian Army offered spontaneous help to people providing warm clothing, shelter, hot meals, medical aid & carrying out physical rescue missions,” ADG PI, Indian Army’s public information wing said in a statement.

More than 400 vehicles were used to rescue those stranded after the heavy snowfall in the region close to India-China border. The tourists were returning from Nathu La pass and Tsomgo (Changu) Lake on Friday evening when the snowfall started leaving 300-400 vehicles stranded at various locations on Jawahar Lal Nehru Road at a height of 13,000 feet above sea-level, East Sikkim District Magistrate Kapil Meena told the news agency PTI.

After the incident no tourist vehicles will be allowed on the Jawahar Lal Nehru Road, the DM said. Efforts are underway to clear the area of snow and restore connectivity in the area, he added.

Army along with check-post police and General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) were involved in the rescue operations. An official involved with the rescue operations told the news agency ANI that Army personnel vacated their barracks to accommodate the rescued tourists.

Sikkim: Indian Army rescues over 2800 tourists stranded near Indo-China border after heavy snowfall- WatchDescription:As many as 2800 tourists were rescued by the Indian Army after heavy snowfall left many stranded around 17 Mile & Nathu La near the Indo-China border in Sikkim on Saturday. Watch:Times Now Digital